Musee Day

As we were walking down the rue Rivoli a bicycle went by with a dog in the back pack a women was wearing. A woman in a cashmere coat just went by pedaling one of those slick aluminum scooters on the sidewalk.

We took a short stroll to the Musee Picasso housed in the Hotel Sale: literally “salty mansion,” named after the wealthy salt tax collector. It contains the painter's personal collection. It is perhaps the only Paris museum with an English translation of its signage. We then took a long taxi ride in rain and congested traffic to the Muse D’Orsay. The art collection within the Musee D’Orsay is superlative! It includes the small Degas ballet dancer sculptures I love so. The Impressionist collection I love as well.

The art collection within the Musee D’Orsay is superlative!

We had lunch at the formal dinning room there. It is a fantastic Rocco gilt-encrusted, cupid-studded, frescoed environment with great service. Susan: steak and French frits. I had boar in wine sauce (wonderful!) with an airy “custard” with lima beans and one with cherry tomatoes. Dessert of Tiramisu and fruit ice crèmes.

We had an interesting conversation with two “guys” from San Francisco who were seated to S’s left. We finally started to tour the D’Orsay around 3:20pm! Around 5:30, at the end of our visit, somewhat tired, we ran into two similarly tired women of the same age on the mezzanine staring down on the constant activity below on the classical sculpture floor. They, and a third woman friend had all attended Welsley and gone to Paris in the 60’s together and now came back for a celebration. The missing one had been throughly pick pocketed and was at the police station. She had lost everything! We had a ball talking to them while all of us recouped our energy.